DEMON WITHIN
by GrifterViper
Summary: The past to present look at Kasumi, Hayate, Ryu, and Ayane. How they joined their clans; the reasons for their relationships; and the hatred between some. Other characters might be involved occationally.
1. Default Chapter

**PRIMER**

Disclaimer:  I, Grifter, do not own any of the characters or any of the DOA series.  Tecmo does not have any part in this fanfic.  I am trying to use the information from the DOA 3 game book to get the characters and their information as correct as possible.  All the ideas are from my twisted mind; from something I have seen over my life-time; or a combination of the two.  This is a look at what could have happened to some of the characters from the DOA series.  Tecmo will release a game in the near future to further move the stories for each character.  Now enjoy and review please!  (This is the same one on Fanfiction.net and Mediaminer.org)

Ninja stars flew across the stairway hitting the light bulbs, just as Kasumi reached the middle.  Now in the pitch black stairway, Kasumi had to rely on the skills she had learned from her training.  It seemed that there was more than just one foe around her, moving in all directions.  They moved extremely fast and agile.

Kasumi:

*Damn!  These assassins seem to be much more trained than the previous ones!  They are much smarter!  If it wasn't for Hayate and Ryu, I probably wouldn't be able to keep up with these guys!*

She ran up the stairs at the same pace as her attackers so that she would be prepared for anything they threw at her.  Just as she reached the top, the battle began!

An assassin from Kasumi's right jumped off of the wall and at the same time pulled out a dagger, aiming it at her throat.  But these guys were like turtles when compared to Hayate and Ryu.  Then again, these guys are just the pawns of their guild whereas Hayate and Ryu are the two best of her clan.  Kasumi dodged the blow with ease and countered with a sharp chop with the side of her hand right on the jugular of her attacker.  The assassin was knocked out cold as soon at Kasumi had hit him.

Kasumi:

*One down!  Seven to go!  If all of the assassins are like this one then there shouldn't be any problems.*

At that moment the assassin from her left pounced at the exact spot Kasumi was with a kitana in hand.  As soon as Kasumi's body was in range of the lethal weapon, the assassin took a swing but the blade only sliced through the air and penetrated the floor boards.  Before the assassin could regroup and get a fix on the whereabouts of Kasumi, she felt a blow to the back of her neck and then only saw darkness swelling in her eyes. 

Unknown to Kasumi, there was somebody watching her every move: the flow of her body, her movements through the air, her agility and speed, and the amount of skill she possessed.  Taking metal notes, the watcher studied Kasumi as if she was the next prey.  Kasumi took down three more of the assassins with ease, not even breaking a sweat.  The watcher made note of this but also made not of the one major flaw she saw in Kasumi's method of fighting; Kasumi never seemed to use the dagger she had at her back nor did she seem to take the lives of her adversaries.  This would be a crucial point for any battles that were in store for Kasumi and the watcher.  The watcher was at the top of the stairs, awaiting the appearance of Kasumi, should she make it that far.  

Kasumi encountered the final two assassins just as she reached the platform before the final flight of stairs to the top level.  A ninja star cut through the air heading in her direction.  It was apparently intended for her head but due to her speed, she dodged it just before the impact occurred.  Then another star flew from the top of the stairs, letting Kasumi know that there was someone else other than the two remaining assassins.  This star, however, came in at a higher velocity than the previous ones and was placed at the exact spot where Kasumi would dodge towards.  It sliced through Kasumi's left shoulder and embedded into her shoulder bone.  The force of the impact flung Kasumi off her feet and into the air.  Due to inertia, her body still kept moving forwards while her shoulder and head were moving backwards.  This caused Kasumi to twirl in the air before landing hard onto the stairs.  She then slid all the way down to the platform she had just left from and laid there dazed.  She had started to black out but just before she did, she got a glimpse of the face of the one who had actually hit her.

Kasumi:

" … Hay … Hayate? … Broth …."  

That's all for this one.  It's just a quick intro into the story I want to look at.  I want to look at Kasumi, Hayate, Ryu, and Ayane.  Their past and relationships.  I plan on going back in time and starting from the beginning, like a flashback from the next one so that all will understand why her brother hit her with the star.  Let me know what you think.


	2. Dreams I

**DEMON WITHIN:  DREAMS**

Disclaimer:  I do not own any of the DOA characters, or any other part of the series.  I am not a Tecmo employee nor do any of these stories have any connections with Tecmo.  These are all my own ideas that I create while sitting in front of the computer, typing.  I wish that I did have a DOA connection with Tecmo, then I would be able to create an Anime of the DOA series, but that's life, so I don't and I write up what I think will be a good story-line.

Hey all!  Thanks for the reviews!  It was a downer for me to see a review that stated that my writing sucked and that the story blew, or something like that.  I was down for a bit, but then the reviews that stated that the story had a good possibility of being good cheered me up.  All the reviews from www.fanfiction.net were positive, and www.mediaminer.org 's reviews were constructive.  I wish that the reviewer would have told me what I should do to improve my writing.  After all, I am not an English major or that good at English in the first place.  I usually pull off a 75% in English.  But hey, English is my second language so please bear along.  But the good news is that due to all the positive feedback I have received, I felt bad not writing another chapter to see if you like where I am heading, so here's the next chapter in this series.  Oh, I don't really know how to express the fighting scenes as I picture them in my head so if anyone knows a really good fanfic with a great fighting scene description, please let me know.  Please review and enjoy!

**THE PAST**

The sky was illuminated by the white light of the fighting between the Gods, high above the clouds.  Every few minutes there was a deafening crack of thunder followed closely by a flash of lighting.  There was a storm brewing but it had yet to reach their beloved abode.  She heard every crack of the thunder that sent shivers down her spine.  She envisioned some heavenly maiden utilizing a whip in order to subdue some hellish demon.  And the light was from the magical arrows from some other heavenly creature that would protect the maiden with all his heart.  It was a love that was never possible.  One that will never be realized on the face of the earth.

Kasumi lay cradled in her brother's arms due to the fear of the sounds and lights she heard and saw.  Thunder storms always made Kasumi seem more feminine than normal.  Usually this 14 year old girl was just a bit short of being considered a boy.  Due to her Tomboyish attitude she was mistake for a boy for the greater part of her life and she had become accustomed to it.  Being born into a poor family that lived in a little village on the outskirts of the city, Kasumi did not have much to do but play with her brother.  Her parents were farmers and they did not believe that their children should suffer the tedious work of farming and let them roam around, least until they were 12.  But things never work out exactly the way they are planned and it was the case with Kasumi and Hayate (Ein).  Hayate, 16 at the time, went with some of his friends and it seemed that they had found a stranger living in a nearby village who had some fighting skills.  After careful persuasion, the boys doing most of the labour of this elderly aged man, the man agreed to bestow his knowledge of the arts of fighting unto them.  After months of this labour and training, Ein and his friends were beginning to become strong, tough, and fast.  It seemed as if the labour was part of their training because it helped them build up there strength and stamina.  Every day they grew stronger and faster, always sparring when ever they got the chance.  

Kasumi, being a tomboy, was friends with the boys more than the girls.  One in particular, Ryu Hayabusa.  She and he were friends from the moment they met each other.  It was as if there was some unseen force pulling the two closer together.  Ryu's mother had died just as she gave birth to Ryu.  Apparently, from what Kasumi gathered from her conversations with Ryu, and from overhearing conversations between the adults, this was considered a terrible omen by Ryu's tribe.  Ryu's parents were not part of the high class structure within their tribe but they were somewhere in the middle.  They had ties to both upper and lower classes but the upper class ties were with people of a different tribe.  Upon the death of Ryu's mother, both Ryu and his father were forced out of their tribe and left stranded in the middle of the desert that was vast and surrounded Kasumi's village, among others.  Their tribe moved onto their next destination and left only a sack of water, made of cowhide, for the both of them.  Both Ryu and his father traveled for days and Ryu received the greater portion of the water but after 3 days of traveling on water along, not coming upon any sources of food, both were exhausted.  On the 5th day their water supply ran out and they were left traveling the rest of the way with no source of food or water in sight.  As they settled down to rest for the midday, traveling by night since the heat was not as great, Ryu's father collapsed and was unconscious.  After who knows how long, he awoke to find Ryu sitting next to him, eating something.  Surprised and confused, thinking this a dream state, Ryu's father rose slowly and saw that Ryu was engulfing a cooked rabbit!

Ryu's Father:

*But how?!  He's only 15!  I have never showed him how to hunt nor to make fire!  Yet, here he is, surviving while I was unconscious!  Is this a dream?  Is this real?  How am I to know? *

As Ryu's father kept pondering the situation that had arisen, his stomach rumbled with hunger and his throat desired liquids.  Slowly Ryu's father approached Ryu and stared at the 5 rabbits that were pierced with a stick and freshly roasted.  There were 2 more roasting on the open fire.  Ryu's father looked on in awe and would have been drooling at the roast rabbits if he was not as dehydrated.  After their meal, Ryu and his father began their travels again and after a couple of days, came upon a well.  This was an odd site for there was no town or village in sight of the well yet there it was.  Cautiously both of them approached the well and peered towards its depths.  Far beneath their location, they made a small glimmer of a refraction of light.  WATER!!  FINALLY!!!

Without waiting any longer, and not paying any attention to their surroundings, both drew up the well pail and inhaled the water.  Though they were coughing, due to the water slipping into their wind pipe, caused by the rapid consumption of the liquid, they kept on drinking furiously.  Suddenly there was moment all around them and in seconds they were surrounded.  Not by warriors, assassins, or fighters of any type, but ordinary villagers with a confused look upon their faces.  With the pail still dripping water into his mouth, Ryu's father confronted the villagers.

Ryu's Father:

"We … ll … ~cough cough cough~ I be… ye … wee … blur …. slars … keap …. do … and trus … hen …. drink …. wastr …"

All the villagers just stared at the two with a cautious distance between them.  Ryu's father drank the last of the water in the pail and then cleared his throat.  He then explained their story of the journey through the desert and wait to see what the villagers would say in response.  After what seemed like an eternity, a couple minutes, one villager stepped forward and offered his hand to welcome the stranger.  This act caused a commotion between the rest of the villagers and soon there were two groups, one for giving the two strangers patronage and the other for letting the two go on their way.  After a while, nothing was decided between the two groups but it was getting late and they all headed back to their humble abodes for the night.  

Villager:

"FINE!  IF THEY ARE GONING TO STAY HERE THEN THEY CAN STAY AT OBUNA'S HOUSE SINCE HE IS THE ONE TO OFFER THEM A HAND!"

Obuna:

"That is fine by me.  My family and I will give them shelter and share with them what we can.  In this world filled with hate we need to have some peace.  And Kasumi and Hayate will keep this little one company."

With that, the villagers returned to their own homes for the night.  Obuna led the two strangers with him to his home, where his family was waiting.  When he entered, followed by the two strangers, his family fell silent and stared, waiting for an explanation of this new turn of events.  After the story had been told again, they accepted them with open arms.  They shared what little food they had with the strangers and they made as much space in their little shack for the strangers to sleep.  As the adults went off to sleep, the three kids stayed and began to talk.  They talked about all the things they liked; would like to have; would like to see; and so on until they could keep their eyes open no more.  Soon they all were drifting away into the world of dreams and as they were, Ryu could not help but be glad that now he had some friends.  For the first time, he had friends.

SO?  How is it this time around?  I know I kinda slowed down the whole pace after that fight opening but I need to build up the events that caused all the fighting and the fighting between brother and sister!  Please let me know if you like this new method I am trying out, the whole starting at one point and then going to the past and running the story until it meets up at the starting point.  Please, if you do like this story so far, bear with me because I do have a lot of homework, which I am really far behind in, since I'm watching Ranma and Initial D a lot, so updating and even writing the chapters for both this DOA fanfic and the Inu Yasha fanfic will take longer than before.  Thanks for all the positive reviews and please let me know what I can do to make this better.  Positive criticism is all ways appreciated.  Hope all who read the story so far enjoyed it!  Peace!


	3. Dreams II

**DEMON WITHIN: DREAMS**

Disclaimer:  I do not own any of the DOA characters, or any other part of the series.  I am not a Tecmo employee nor do any of these stories have any connections with Tecmo.  These are all my own ideas that I create while sitting in front of the computer, typing.  I wish that I did have a DOA connection with Tecmo, then I would be able to create an Anime of the DOA series, but that's life, so I don't and I write up what I think will be a good story-line.

Thanks to all those who took a couple minutes to give me some feedback!  I appreciate it greatly.  Kurmoi and Wolf Runner, thanks for your continued feedback!  Helps to motivate me to put aside my studies, though those are really slow this semester ^ _ ^, plus my animes and mangas.  I'm glad to say that I have finished watching the entire Ranma series (complete 7 seasons + OVAs) though was disappointed that they didn't end it with a wedding of the two or something like that.  Get all the pairings down. LOL.  Initial D is a work-in-progress anime, lol, buying 1 dvd at a time and when I can spare some money.  Spent too much as is in 3 months on anime and must put a stop to it for a long while now, lest till my next urge for some series.  Finished Trigun as well and now am in the middle of Love Hina.  Wish they would make a DOA anime!  THAT WOULD ROCK!!  Anyways, lol carried away with all the animes, what's new?  I will do what I can to try to read up on both Kurmoi and Wolf Runner's fanfics to get better ways to describe fight scenes.  I've gotten really bad marks on my midterms so gotta batten down the hatches and actually start studying and put aside the fanfics and animes and mangas for the time being.  But due to the reviews, especially Kurmoi and Wolf Runner's, plus the fact that I broke a 100 views, I am writing this next chapter of Demon Within.  Hope all enjoy!  Peace!

**TROUBLE BREWING**

A month had passed since Ryu and his father had stumbled into the village.  Ryu's father spent the days helping out Obuna in the fields.  Though the desert surrounded the numerous villages located all over it, it seemed as if most of the villages were situated on an oasis like layout found in certain areas.  This provided these villages with a water source, lumber, and the ability to grow crops.  All the men in the village were farmers or traders who would convoy supplies to and from other villages that were located nearby and afar.  The women helped with the farming, accompanied the men on the convoys, or looked after their families.  It might have seemed unfair to have the women do more of the tasks than what the men did but then again, most of the men were just lazy.  There were exceptions, of course, but the greater part of each family's life style within this village was like this.  

Hayate, Kasumi, and Ryu had become the best of friends.  They acted more like family than just friends.  Ryu had always felt like an outsider, no matter where he went.  He was always reserved and kind, no matter what happened, and people took advantage of his kindness and thought of it as a weakness.  Every place Ryu had been he had always been pushed around and done nothing to defend himself.  It seemed to be the same way in this new village Ryu and his father had arrived in, just a couple days later.

Bully:

"HEY! YOU!  BOW DOWN BEFORE ME!  I AM YOUR LORD!  HAHAHAHAHA."

Bully's Groupies:

"YA!  HAHAHAHA!  BOW DOWN!  YOU WORTH LESS WHIMP!  HAHAHAHA"

The bully and his groupies approached Ryu, who was slowly trying to walk away from them.  Ryu never liked confrontations and didn't want to have one now.  As he walked away slowly, facing the bully and groupies, they advanced on him.  After a few steps, Ryu slipped over a rock that was jutting out of the ground and fell down hard, slicing his right elbow across another rock that was jutting out of the ground.  

Bully:

"HAHAHA!  LOOK AT THIS DUMBASS!  CAN'T EVEN WALK STRAIGHT!  Why don't we see if we can "help" him to his feet.  HEH!"

Just as the group took a couple steps towards Ryu, Kasumi ran out in front of Ryu, holding her hands out wide blocking the path between the bully and crew and Ryu.  This shocked Ryu because no one had ever stood up for him in the past and he had not expected anyone to do so now.  The bully and crew stopped in their tracks and just smirked at Kasumi.  Then walked away.

Kasumi:

*Hmm.  Guess they're not as dumb as they look!"

Kasumi knew that she was treated differently from other children within the village ever since she could remember.  She was kind but she would not take any shit from anyone.  If you pushed her, she would come back and push you.  But this was a minor deterrent to conflicts with her.  The main reason no one bothered Kasumi was her big brother, Hayate.  An incident that occurred when Kasumi was 4 and Hayate 6, placed Kasumi on a level that was untouchable by anyone in the village.  Kasumi had been playing in the fields just outside of the village boundary when a few hunters where running towards the village, and Kasumi (inadvertently), with a heard of about 20 wild bores, each one fully grown, more than one would expect.  The hunters ran by and not one tried to get Kasumi out of the way.  Obuna and his wife, Nara, heard the commotion and run out to see what was causing it only to see that there was a heard of bores running right for Kasumi, and there wasn't enough time for them to make it there to save her.  Believing there was nothing they could do, all the people watched in horror as the bores approached Kasumi.  Kasumi, becoming frightened, tried to run towards the village but kept stumbling over rocks and her own feet.  The fear had taken control of her once she fell for the 5th time and seeing the bores only a few feet away from her.  She was paralyzed by the fear and could not move herself.  With all hope gone from the villagers' and Kasumi's hearts, it seemed like this young girl would die due to some misfortune but then out of nowhere appeared Hayate.  He was always playing but Kasumi and Hayate seemed to have some special bond between them which notified the other if something happened to either one.  Now, with two children on the path of destruction of the bores, the villagers started to feel the loss that Obuna and Nara would have.  The cloud of dust created by the stampeding bores slowly covered the two children and all the villagers began to weep except for Obuna and Nara.  It seemed that as soon as Hayate had appeared on the scene, both parents hearts were at ease.  Once the dust cleared, the entire village saw that there were 2 figures standing while 20 or so were scattered all around those 2 figures.  Upon closer inspection, it was seen that Hayate had suffered some minor injuries, the 20 or so bores were scattered about with broken bones, and Kasumi amazingly did not have one scratch on her.  This was unbelievable but ever since that incident, not one person in the village dared to cause any trouble for Kasumi or Hayate.  Though he was just a boy at the time, Hayate had earned the respect of the villagers.  Some were due to admiration, while most were due to fear.  

Kasumi:

"Are you alright Ryu?"

Ryu:

"Yah."

Kasumi:

"But you're bleeding!  Your elbow!"

Kasumi bent down and gently took up Ryu's hand, trying her best to avoid causing him any more pain.  As she picked up his had, she expected Ryu to cry out in pain or at least twitch but he just sat there quietly, not making a sound.  She took off her bandana and wrapped the wound with it, tying it tight.  

"That should keep it from bleeding a lot.  At least till my mom can clean and better dress the wound.  Come on, I'll help you up."

Ryu stared at Kasumi.  Kasumi had always acted as a boy whenever she was around anyone, except around Ryu.  When it was just the two of them, her feminine side always held precedence.  There weren't many girls in the village, and even less who were relatively close to Ryu's age, other than Kasumi.  It was inevitable that there should be some feelings or bonds between the two, but was it just a deep friendship or love?  Kasumi helped Ryu back to her home where her mother, Nara, cleaned Ryu's wound and better dressed it.

Once the wound was dressed by Nara, Ryu and Kasumi headed out to see what Hayate was up to at the moment.  While they walked, they talked about what they would like to do when they grow up.  

Kasumi:

"Hey Ryu!  What do you want to be when you grow up?  I mean you learn fast, you can keep up with my brother, in fact you are the first to do so!  And after all, you are …."

Just then there was noise emitting from a crowd that had gathered just inside the village lines.  There seemed to be some commotion and Kasumi was eager to investigate the reason.  She grabbed Ryu's hand and gently tugged him in the direction she wanted to go.  The two of them slowly made their way through the crowd and stood facing a caravan that had just returned from its trade journey with one of the other villages.  This was not unusual but the fact that the caravan had brought back a wounded man was.  The commotion was a debate between the villagers on whether to allow the man to stay and recover within the village or not.  Kasumi would have kept quiet and watched on but the caravan was the one her father and Ryu's father had gone on.  Therefore, the decision to bring back the man was made by the two of them.  Kasumi didn't care what anyone else thought but if her father made a decision it was never wrong.  She ran to his side and gave her 2 cents worth to the crowd stating that the wounded man should be allowed to recover before he heads out but she was just a child in the eyes of the adults and none paid attention to her, except her father and Ryu's.

Obuna:

"Thank you for your support Kasumi.  I know I can count on my precious to be by my side no matter what, but this is a matter that must be dealt with by the village council.  Go home and tell your mother to make some room for one more guest at our house, for I think he will be staying with us until he recovers, if the council permits.  And tell her to get the bandages and things ready so that we may tend to his wounds immediately, as soon as the decision is made."

Without another word, Kasumi went to relay the information to Nara and Ryu followed.  After a few minutes, Obuna and Ryu's father brought the wounded man into the house where Nara tended to his wounds.  

After a couple hours of rest, the wounded man awoke and joined the group to some tea and bread.  He told them that he was grateful for their help but that he was in danger and if he stayed here with them the entire village will be in danger.  Apparently he was a ninja who had fallen for the princess of the clan that was the rival of his clan.  This was not accepted by either clan and both pursued the man now.  The rival clan to take his life, and his own clan to make an example of him for others within the clan with thoughts of similar intentions.  Both clans were one in the beginning but after a controversy over some land, they split into two separate clans, comprised of the two leaders and their followers.  The two leaders were best of friends but unfortunately fate had different plans for the both of them than letting them stay together forever.  This story hit Kasumi hard and she thought of whether Ryu, Hayate, and she would be friends for life or go their separate ways later in life.  While she was pondering this, the wounded man said goodbye and was ready to depart but Obuna stopped him and said that until he was healthy enough to travel he would stay with them in the village and if any trouble should follow him, then the village will be in trouble no matter if he was here or not.  Unfortunately for the ninja, he could not refute this statement.  Due to the fact that he was brought into the village, no matter that he was let into it, just for being there the village was in danger of an attack.  Now, all he could do was hope that he would heal fast enough to move to a different location and let those following him know he's left this village before anything happened.  That was the plan but would it hold?

A few villages away from Obuna's village.

Ninja:

"Sensai, we have word that the Gaiden is in a village not too far from this one.  It is populated by farmers and peasants.  No royalties or fighters are apparent there.  Shall we send some of our men to handle this task?"

Ninja Sensai:

"Yesss!  Send Akira, Azumamaro, Bussho, and Eri.  Make sure that they don't destroy this village like the last!  Not unless they absolutely have to.  We are ninjas!  Not mercenaries!"

Ninja:

"Yes Sensai!  As you command!"

Well that's that for now.  Kinda forced myself to write another chapter for this series this week.  Loved seeing that I broke 100 views on MediaMiner and the reviews from Fanfiction.  I promise that I will get the action going soon but give me some time.  I got a load of work at the moment and frankly most of my time is taken up by animes!  Been spending like there's no tomorrow on them so watching those as well.  Plus I need to get into a writing mode else it does not seem to work.  That might be the case with this one but please let me know what you think.  For those following my Inu Yasha fanfic, Brothers' War, please be patient.  I have an idea for it but just need to find some time to write it out.  I have that one planned out to the last chapter but it's all in my head so not good planning.  ^_^   Hope all enjoyed this one.  Peace!


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